Outbreak of ‘Brain-eating Amoeba’ in Karachi

What is Naegleria?

Naegleria is an amoeba (single-celled living organism) commonly found in warm freshwater (for example, lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil. Only one species (type) of Naegleria infects people: Naegleria fowleri.

How does infection with Naegleria fowleri occur?

Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. The Naegleria fowleri amoeba then travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue. You cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water.

Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water and contaminated tap water) enters the nose, for example when people submerge their heads or cleanse during religious practices (wuzu), and when people irrigate their sinuses (nose) using contaminated tap water.

In what water temperature does Naegleria fowleri cause infection?

Naegleria fowleri is a heat-loving (thermophilic) microbe. It grows best at higher temperatures up to 115°F (46°C) and can survive for short periods at higher temperatures.

Can I get a Naegleria fowleri infection from a disinfected swimming pool?

No. You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from a properly cleaned, maintained, and disinfected swimming pool.

When do Naegleria fowleri infections most commonly occur?

While infections with Naegleria fowleri are very rare, they occur mainly during the summer months of July, August, and September.

Can infection be spread from one person to another?

No. Naegleria fowleri infection cannot be spread from one person to another.

What are the symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection?

Naegleria fowleri causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue. In its early stages, symptoms of PAM may be similar to symptoms of bacterial meningitis.

Initial symptoms of PAM start about 5 days (range 1 to 7 days) after infection. The initial symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about 5 days (range 1 to 12 days).

What is the actual mechanism of death from Naegleria fowleri infection?

The infection destroys brain tissue causing brain swelling and death.

What is the fatality rate for an infected person who begins to show signs and symptoms?

The fatality rate is over 99%.

Is there effective treatment for infection with Naegleria fowleri?

It is not clear. Several drugs are effective against Naegleria fowleri in the laboratory. However, their effectiveness is unclear since almost all infections have been fatal, even when people were treated with similar drug combinations.

What should I do if I have been swimming or playing in freshwater and now think I have symptoms associated with Naegleria fowleri?

People should seek medical care immediately whenever they develop a sudden onset of fever, headache, stiff neck, and vomiting, particularly if they have been in warm freshwater recently.

What swimming behaviors have been associated with Naegleria fowleri infection?

Behaviors associated with the infection include diving or jumping into the water, submerging the head under water or engaging in other water-related activities that cause water to go up the nose.

How can I reduce the risk of infection with Naegleria fowleri?

Swimming-related risk

Use chlorinated and boiled water.

Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when taking part in water-related activities in bodies of warm freshwater.

Avoid water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of high water temperature and low water levels.

Avoid swimming in waters where you suspect poor hygiene and insufficient chlorination.

Non-swimming-related risk

If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses (for example, Wuzu), use water that has been:

previously boiled for 1 minute and left to cool or

filtered, using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller or

purchased with a label specifying that it contains distilled or sterile water.

Courtesy:
Dr. Kamran Dawood
Consultant Microbiologist and
Head of Microbiology and Infection Control Department
Patel Hospital

Medical Disclaimer: This is general information provided for educational and awareness purposes. This information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Why is it easier to say something to our kids when we’re angry at them than when they are doing what we want them to do?

Picture a lazy Sunday afternoon and you’re reading your favorite magazine while sipping a cup of tea. Your children are in the next room playing a game together, having a wonderful time and getting along famously. What are the chances that you would get up, walk to the next room and say, “It’s so nice to see you two having such a great time together”? Probably slim. Why? Because when we parents are happy and content ourselves, we aren’t particularly motivated to move from what’s making us content.

Now imagine that your children in the next room begin screaming and arguing. Your heart begins to beat faster, anger begins to swell inside you and thoughts like, “What is going on? Why can’t they just play nicely? I was having such a relaxing time by myself!” begin to run through your head. Now you are motivated – you are MAD! What are the chances of you getting up, stomping into the next room and yelling at the kids to, “Be quiet!”?

Unfortunately, the outcome of this “Speak only when we see negative behavior Syndrome” is that our kids mostly hear from us when we have something negative to say rather than positive feedback. They receive the message that they are just annoying to us.

The antidote? Positive verbal and non-verbal reinforcement.

Here are 20 ways to show or tell your children that you appreciate their positive behaviors.

“Thanks for wiping the kitchen counter so nicely”

“I think you got ready for school in record time this morning!”

“I loved how you persevered after getting frustrated with your homework tonight.”

“I saw you on the soccer field. You played hard!”

“It was so nice dining out with you tonight.”

“Have I told you lately how much I appreciate how you keep your room so tidy?”

Give a rub on the back after your child has done something you asked.

Give your child a wink and a smile after they accomplish something difficult to show you are proud of them.

Give your child a thumb or two thumbs up after you see him/her completing a task around the house.

“Good job on that math test, Julie. I know you studied hard.”

“I’m so proud of how you _______________.”

“I’m so proud to call you my son/daughter.”

Write a special note and put it in your child’s desk at school.

Write a special note and put it in your child’s lunch bag.

Smile at your child and stroke their hair after they have made a good choice about something.

Buy a “just because” toy, game, or puzzle and attach a note or card expressing the reason you are giving the gift. Do they always hang up their coat which keeps your house tidy? Do they always finish their homework on time?

“That puppy really likes you!”

“Dad and I were so proud of the way you behaved tonight at our friend’s house. You were polite and tried to join in the conversation.”

“Wow, how creative. I like how you used the color purple here”

Leave a heart-shaped note in your child’s jacket pocket thanking him/her for a job well done on a task they always do around the house.

In order to remind themselves to use praise, some parents find it helpful to make a note and put it where they can see it often. The note might read, “notice the positive” or “catch ’em doing good.”.

Catch your kids being good. It will have a profound effect on the atmosphere in your home. Whatever it takes, I assure you it will be worth it.

How do you reinforce the behavior in your household? Let us know in the comments below!

This article is a Guest post. Views expressed in this article are those of the author and may or may not be the views of From The Pulpit and DiscoMaulvi. To submit content for From The Pulpit, please email FromThePulpit [at] MuhammadAly [dot] Com.

Like this:

Ever wonder why some days your kids just seem to test you, rebel against you or resist everything you ask of them? That happened to me a couple of days ago and I want to share with you how I resolved this issue.
My family has been on holidays for the past two weeks. Due to a variety of life circumstances, my hubby and I were in need of a huge break from regular life. So, the fact that we had grandparents around, ready and willing to look after our kids so that we could sleep in and generally do what we wanted without the kids, felt like a blessing. The problem? We forgot one of the most basic rules of good parenting.
Let me step back a bit before I go into that. You see, when I say that my hubby and I were sleeping in and doing what we wanted I also must add that personally, I just wanted to be on my own, without the kids. This may sound harsh because anyone who knows me knows that I adore my kiddies and I love spending time with them. However, the freedom of reading what I wanted and relegating all responsibility to my parents was kind of a nice break for a few days. For example, while we were out for a family walk I was holding my son’s hand yet my back started hurting a bit because my son was walking slower than me which made my back twist every time I took a step. So, I let his hand go and said, “Go hold daddy’s hand, my back hurts.” After a day of me unconsciously pushing him away I began to see some undesirable results.
That night, everything my husband and I asked him to do he resisted. He even used a snarky tone and said, “No, I won’t do that!” which is COMPLETELY out of character for him. What usually worked with him was not working and the resistance grew more and more as the night progressed. In fact, the evening ended with me putting the story book down at night and saying, “No story tonight. You’ve really disappointed me” and him crying.
Although this is difficult to share, as it is so unlike me (and him) I felt it important to share because this sometimes happens with the parents I coach. Everything is going great and then BOOM! Negative behaviour or resistance appears and they think their luck has run out and now this stage or age is going to be the difficult one. Until… I coach them on this important point.

Children’s main desire is to feel loved, and there are four ways that they feel loved.

They are:

Focused attention

Physical Contact

Eye Contact

Discipline

During those couple of days, I had basically removed all focused attention, physically let go of his hand, and didn’t give much eye contact except to discipline him. Are you beginning to solve that problem I asked earlier? Wow! You must be a parenting coach! No, you see? Parenting isn’t rocket science. It’s just about knowing a few specific things, being reflective and then taking action.After my husband and I reflected on my son’s behaviour, we realized that WE needed to step up and change a few things. So, the next morning my hubby got up when our son did and connected with him. Not in a major way, just asked him questions and showed interest in what he was talking about. Then I woke up, came over to him, looked him right in the eye to say, “Good Morning, Sweetie” while I rubbed his hair (there’s that physical contact!) and then proceeded to interact naturally with him and the rest of our family. Later that morning, we told him we were going to go to our friend’s house so we all had to get ready. The day before he would have refused, but today he was willing.
After we got dressed we walked to the car and I asked him, “Can I hold your hand?” His response? “Of course you can, Mommy!” While we walked in silence he then snuggled into me, kissed my hand, and said, “Mmm… cozy!”
Our son was amazing and polite the rest of the day and that evening I left his room the way we usually do. Then, the child who is usually too shy/reserved to go up and kiss people came out of his room and to each of us (grandma and grandpa included) asked if we would like a kiss! For him to do this on his own was shocking as it’s out of his comfort zone for sure.
Some parents might say, that’s it? That’s really ALL you did and his behaviour turned around? Yes. It really doesn’t take that much for kids to feel loved and WANT to intrinsically be have, be polite and be happy. They will show you they aren’t getting what they need from you by acting out. There is ALWAYS a reason.
So, the next time you notice your kids acting abnormally different or worse, take some time to reflect and see if your children are truly feeling loved using the 4 criteria above then watch the way things can just “magically” change.

This article is taken from another source. Views expressed in this article are those of the author and may or may not be the views of From The Pulpit and DiscoMaulvi. To submit content for From The Pulpit, please email FromThePulpit [at] MuhammadAly [dot] Com.

How to be a Stress-Free Parent This YearA new year is about to unfold. Are you going to be in the driver’s seat as to how it unfolds? Or are you going to be a passenger in the backseat, just going along for the ride? We’ve all felt the way the latter feels. I remember when I would feel like I was a hamster running on a hamster wheel, just trying to keep one foot in front of the other. I’m not sure why I always use animals to describe how I feel, but I also remember describing myself as running around like a “chicken with it’s head cut off”. Basically, the essence of what I was feeling inside when I used to describe myself was a feeling of being out of control and just surviving. Is this TRULY the way to live life? Especially with children?
You see, when we live life like this everything seems complicated and becomes difficult. When we’re frazzled, our children seem to act up. Coincidence? Not really. When our house is cluttered and untidy, do our kids whine that they’re bored or are they hyperactive? Most often, yes. If we are always rushing from one lesson to the next, do we have a lot of extra patience for our kids? Nope. In the modern world we live in, it is very easy to let life lead us leading IT. However, imagine if you were able to actually CHOOSE how your daily life played out?
Imagine waking up before the kids and drinking a cup of warm water with lemon while you set an intention for your day.
Imagine having your kids wake up happy and get dressed quickly and easily.
Imagine having a place to put your things and your kid’s things so that you never had to be stressed and wonder where something is
Imagine having regular routines or rituals that your family participated in each and every day or week that made you bond closely?
Life can be designed, but it takes spending some time and thought, and sometimes getting support, to make it how you would like. I encourage you to spend some time on New Year’s Day or the day after and write down three things you would like to have more of in your life this year. I’d also suggest you come up with two or three things that are not serving you and let them go – whether they be something in your schedule, your home, or your personal life such as a “friend” or an emotion.
The last part of this exercise would be to write out how you can acquire the things you want in your life. Do you need support, to hire someone, to schedule in something, to ask for help, or create a routine?
If you need a place to start with this whole exercise, here is a quick and easy activity for you. Doing this will help you see where you need to focus and then you can narrow it down even further if need be.Read these statements and answer “yes”, “no” or “sometimes”.

My home feels like a cozy, calm space for me and my family, free of excess.

My schedule allows me to accomplish what I want.

I have all the time I need to replenish my energy.

My kids have routines that allow them to accomplish what they need to everyday.

I feel balanced and fulfilled, most of the time.

I feel like I easily provide nutritious meals for my family on a regular basis.

I have organizing systems in place that fully support my day-to-day life.

I set a good example for my children when it comes to how to live a balanced and healthy life.

My kids listen to me when I ask them to do something or stop doing something.

If you have much bigger dreams for your home, family, schedule, and life than where you’re at today and you finally want to be able to describe yourself as a stress-free parent, then do the exercise described above, and if need be, seek out the support you need to make your dreams a reality! Here’s to a fulfilling, meaningful and “in the driver’s seat” kind of year!

This article is taken from another source. Views expressed in this article are those of the author and may or may not be the views of From The Pulpit and DiscoMaulvi. To submit content for From The Pulpit, please email FromThePulpit [at] MuhammadAly [dot] Com.

Have you ever talked sweetly to your child trying to explain that what they are doing is not very nice? What about the opposite? Have you ever yelled at your child out of frustration and hoped that by seeing you so angry your child would naturally want to stop their naughty behaviour? Or, how about this scenario – you start out trying to be the patient parent who wants to calmly and sweetly explain to your child why their behaviour is unacceptable, but when they ignore you your anger swells and you begin yelling. These methods of talking and yelling, or a combination of the two, are the three most common parenting methods.

Psychologists have labeled the first type of discipline as "Permissive" and the second type as "Authoritative". The third type, which is a mixture of the previous two, is often referred to as the "Mishmash" method.

The Permissive MethodThe Permissive Method does not work because it involves a lot of talking, and children, for a large part of their childhood, are egocentric – meaning they want what they want when they want it, and life is all about them; they don’t care to listen to your long, drawn out explanations. They simply cannot comprehend and digest what it is the parent is trying to tell them. The only way they learn something is by direct experience of a consequence. Therefore, if a parent simply talks and explains and uses words like "You should", and "I wish you would", their child will tune out and quite possibly act out more because they are so tired of hearing their parent’s voice!

The Authoritative Method

The Authoritative Method appears to work at times because a child will stop the behaviour for a little while because he or she is scared, embarrassed or upset. If made to feel bad about themselves enough times, children will eventually turn resentful and revengeful against the parent. This of course will only exacerbate the bad behaviour.

The Mishmash Method

The Mishmash Method does not work for very evident reasons; the child is totally confused as to what the parent wants or feels is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour. Furthermore, there is little respect for the parent who uses this method, therefore the negative behaviours continue.

So, if these three methods of discipline are the most common, but least effective, why do parents continue using them? It’s what we know, it’s what we’ve learned, and it’s what we’ve experienced ourselves. It is important also, to ask ourselves what our underlying desire is for using a particular method of discipline. For example, is the desire that you want your child to like you? How about wanting your child to be a little scared of you? Taking the time to understand what method you are using and why you are using it can be an extremely beneficial exercise. With this enlightened understanding, one can decide to learn how to discipline differently and more effectively. The result? A family life that is happy and fulfilling for everyone.

This article is taken from another source. Views expressed in this article are those of the author and may or may not be the views of From The Pulpit and DiscoMaulvi. To submit content for From The Pulpit, please email FromThePulpit [at] MuhammadAly [dot] Com.

Like this:

“This is a moment of choice for everybody, for politicians, and for people right the way down through every part of the community.” Peter Hain (British MP from Wales)

Although Hain was talking about the situation in Ireland, the fact of the matter is that if Hain was a MNA from Karachi, he would be expressing the same sentiments about his metropolitan city. At this time, it is the month of Ramadan, when the faithful perform their ordained religious obligations of fasting, praying, and distributing charity and Zakat. This is the month when retailers and suppliers rake in most of their yearly profits and reduce their held up inventory. This is the month when social welfare organizations bombard citizens with pleas for donations and contributions. This is the month where children look forward to new clothes, new shoes, and new gifts on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Muslim day of feast.

Come Ramadan 2011 and Karachi has been transformed into a city where streets have become rivers of blood, where the candles of happiness have been extinguished in hundreds of households, where the citizens, no matter how brave, walk or drive to their places of worship in fear and apprehension, and where there are no signs of security or sanity. This is the city where, instead of religious sermons and religious poetry heard from loudspeakers, one hears the rat-a-tat of gunfire by snipers and even desperadoes brazenly roaming around the city streets and lanes.

There is talk of thousands of policemen, Rangers, and other para-military forces devotedly performing their assigned tasks of maintaining peace and providing security to citizens. This claim is assiduously proclaimed by President Zardari’s Interior Minister Rehman “Baba” Malik as well as by newcomer Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan. Unfortunately, one is a publicity-freak who ensures that he comes up with a new weekly theory, however preposterous, while the other professes to have “dreams” on every subject except how to usher in peace.

The main causes for this bloodshed, for this deteriorating law and order, for this breakdown in Karachi are not something that arose overnight. These are the outcome of the past decade of buildup of brutal power, manipulation, and control by new and old political and religious organizations.

In USA, especially in New York City, there was a time when five Families of Italian-American origin made life hell for the people and the government. In everyday terms they were known as The Mafia. Among themselves, their operations were known as Cosa Nostra, which meant “Our Thing”. They were also referred to as The National Crime Syndicate and today they have an informal set up known as The Commission. The five main Mafia Families are known as the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno and Colombo Families. They are all independent but nationwide coordination is thru The Commission consisting of the heads of each Family.

These Families have branched out into various legal and illegal activities but one fact still remains. They are hoodlums and they have a penchant for muscle power. They are ethnic based, they deal in drugs, they deal in land grabbing, they deal in extortion, and they have learnt how to influence the political environment. As Mario Puzo’s Godfather Don Corleone would say, “Make an offer you can’t refuse”. The five Families have faced legal challenges and a lot of laws were used to break them but inspite of all social and governmental pressure, the Mafia is still strong, powerful, and can create havoc.

The Karachi of today is also under the control of five Families. They are also primarily ethnic-based, have well-trained militants, display and use arms openly, have been accused of extortion, murders, bombings, and political muscle. Some are major players in drugs supply, land grabbing and encroachments, extortion, and can even make or break the democratically elected government. These five Families are Pakistan People’s Party, Muttahida Quami Movement, Awami National Party, Sunni Tehrik, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The sad fact is that gradually over the past many years all these Families have enhanced their influence over the city and have carved out their own turfs. Three of these Families are basically political parties while the last two are more oriented towards their religious manifestations. They masquerade as religious entities but in effect they too indulge in many illegal operations such as extortion, taking over of mosques, bank robberies, etc. The PPP uses the paraphernalia of a Lyari-based radical organization, euphemistically known as Amn Committee (Peace Committee). This organization has been propped up with official backing of PPP leadership to counter the influence of MQM. The Amn Committee indulges in blatant extortion, gang-wars, drugs, and protection rackets.

The business community is faced with constant threats and demands from all those forces that are on the warpath against one another. The leaders of various markets in Karachi have devised a system where they collect a fixed amount from every shop in a particular market and the money is divided between various extortionists. The government announced the disbandment of the Amn Committee but that was just for public consumption. The Amn Committee is very much active and the chits for extortion are routinely sent to businessmen. The market gossip is that an erstwhile Sindh Home Minister who has a penchant for verbal diarrhea wants to be the Don of Karachi thru this Amn Committee.

The business community has to become strong and fight back. Enough is enough. The task is difficult but when push comes to shove then drastic steps must be taken. The businessmen are tired of being coddled by Rehman Malik. He comes up with his reassuring statements and gets live coverage on the electronic media courtesy the Chamber or the Associations. As always, his bombastic proclamations turn out to be nothing but hot air. Even the police do not take him seriously. One micro example: Few days ago at SITE Association of Industry, the industrialists questioned the procedure of parading alleged criminals by making them wear a hood so that their faces are not seen. Malik assured the meeting that this would be ended immediately. As always, the police hierarchy is all deaf-ears and the old system continues. It is time the business leaders refrain from inviting him at business forums. Business organizations do not need this grotesque publicity.

Businessmen must now have their own armed militia a la the notorious Blackwater of Eric Prince. They should not demand guns for themselves because this is not a doable or advisable step as the soldiers of some of the Families have, according to Malik, latest Israeli guns. Instead, they should obtain the services of counter-terrorism experts who have retired from Pakistan Army to train an elite force. In the short term, retired Army personnel should be hired as mercenaries. Karachi businesses need atleast 300 such commandos. The modus operandi would be that whenever a market or a company receives the demand for extortion, the militia hotline would be informed. The collector would be asked to come and receive the money at a mutually agreed time, and on his arrival he would be caught, hanged upside down, and submitted to third degree torture to extract information from him. Then, gasoline would be poured over him and he should be burned to death. The CD of the whole event would be dispatched to the media, the Supreme Court, and to the Family that sent the collector. This is the pragmatic approach rather than succumbing to pressure from the extortionists and also rather than handing over the collector to the police. All that is needed are four or five such actions and the extortionists would flee the city. The ludicrous step taken by the Sindh government and Malik to “mildly warn” the extortionists to leave the city is proof positive that they have no desire to control this menace.

The other steps that businessmen should take are to compel Karachi Chamber to organize a non-violent, non-cooperation protest where all members would stop depositing their taxes and utilities bills and instead would submit these with pay orders to KCCI so that the government is forced to listen to the cries of the Karachi citizens. At the same time, KCCI must get the top hierarchy of the five Families to come to KCCI where an ultimatum would be issued to all of them to stop their nefarious activities and allow the City to flourish and live in peace. They should also be given a warning to desist from calling protest days and strikes. They should also be told in no uncertain terms that these Families should voluntarily surrender their illegal arms and ammunition, not to the police but to the Pakistan Army. They should also be categorically warned that land grabbing and drugs supplies should end immediately and all such persons within their organizations should be expelled from membership and not provided any political support.

Yes, this is a tall order and as always, the Families will not pay heed. Thus it would then be a desperate call to GHQ and Supreme Court to honor their obligations under the Constitution and help save Pakistan by purging Karachi, the City of Lights, from roguish elements.

As my friend Anwar-ul-Haq, a senior officer of Federal Board of Revenue writes:

In Bastion Ke Baasi Khudaya Teray Supurd

Toofan Uth Rahe Hain Kinaron Ke Saaath Saath

Dono Ki Ik Misaal Hai, Dono Hain Khokhlay

Insan Phat Rahe Hain Gubaaro Ke Saath Saath

Majyd Aziz is a Karachi based Entrepreneur and a senior leader of the business community. He is a former Chairman of SITE Association of Industry, former President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and has held posts on the board various public organizations and companies.